World peace is widely regarded as theoretically possible, but achieving it faces profound challenges and is unlikely in the foreseeable future given current global dynamics234. Historically and philosophically, world peace has been a persistent ideal, but real-world obstacles—such as national interests, resource scarcity, and ideological divides—make its realization extremely complex.

Key context and supporting details:

• Achieving world peace would require global cooperation, compromise, and meeting the fundamental needs of all people, including food, shelter, healthcare, education, and justice12.
• Key structural barriers include the primacy of nation-state interests, with powerful countries (especially those with permanent UN Security Council seats) often placing national priorities above global solidarity. These geopolitical rivalries significantly inhibit consensus on peace initiatives2.
• The UN, religious organizations, and many NGOs actively promote peace, with some progress in conflict prevention and resolution, but wars and conflicts persist globally34.
• Theories such as democratic peace theory and territorial peace theory suggest certain political and geographical arrangements can reduce the likelihood of war, but exceptions demonstrate these theories are not absolute predictors of peace3.
• Recent statistics indicate ongoing conflict in at least 41 countries, underscoring the complexity of achieving comprehensive global peace4.

Additional perspectives:

• Some thinkers argue that a world federation or stronger international government would be required for peace, though this faces strong resistance from sovereign states1.
• The UN Development Programme takes an optimistic stance, suggesting world peace is inevitable over the long arc of history, but this remains a hopeful projection rather than a guaranteed trajectory5.

In summary: While world peace is conceptually possible and remains a worthy goal, achieving it is deeply challenging due to entrenched political, economic, and social factors234. Most scholars and experts see it as highly improbable in the short term, though they emphasize the importance of incremental progress and ongoing peacebuilding efforts24.